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U.S. CHAMBER DROPS $103 MILLION ON LOBBYING IN 2012: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is reporting spending $29.5 million on lobbying during the last quarter of 2012, bringing their overall lobbying spending to an eye-popping $103 million on lobbying. That figure more than doubles the $44 million the chamber reported spending on lobbying in 2011. And that doesn't even count the U.S. Chamber of Institute for Legal Reform, which is reporting another $31.5 million on lobbying.

Chamber spokeswoman Blair Latoff tells PI that the group reports the numbers using the IRS method, which includes voter education ads. "2011 was not an election year, which would explain the jump," Latoff said.

Lobbying reports are starting to trickle in with today's midnight deadline. Another big reporter includes the National Association of Realtors at $15.4 million for the fourth quarter and more than $41 million on lobbying in 2012. PI will have all the details tomorrow on which contract firms felt the pressure in 2012 and who is sitting pretty. Stay tuned.

PI SCOOPLET… COHEN HANGS A SHINGLE: Veteran health care lobbyist Sharon Cohen has opened her own shop, SLC Health Strategies, after nearly nine years at the Podesta Group. Cohen tells PI that she decided to start her own business so that she could “concentrate on a core set of issues going forward.” Cohen already has a roster of clients, including four in the biotech area — Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novo Nordisk, Cubis Pharmaceuticals and EISAI Inc. She previously worked as chief lobbyist at the Biotech Industry Organization, and also held senior positions at Health Insurance Association of America and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

GOOGLE TO HUDDLE WITH CAMPAIGN STAFF: Tech giant Google is inviting top-level campaign staff from Obama for America, the Romney campaign and party committees to its New York City offices for a deep dive later this week on tech on what happened in 2012 and looking forward to 2014 and 2016. Google’s Civic Innovation initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Knight Foundation are partnering to host a tech and research deep dive with digital teams from last cycle to explore online campaign organizing products, platforms, analytics and targeting. In particular, the group will look at voter registration online and via mobile devices and how new platforms impacted the campaign narrative. “This meeting seeks to make sense of these advances in political technology from the perspective of what impact they might have on the future of civic and public engagement,” an overview reads. Several attendees told PI they expected Eric Schmidt to be at the event, but organizers said he has not yet been confirmed.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, and welcome to the first PI of President Barack Obama’s time as a lame duck. Historical note: It has been exactly 40 years since Roe v. Wade was decided — and since former President Lyndon B. Johnson passed away. As always, send compliments and tips toapalmer@politico.com or btau@politico.com. And follow us on Twitter at @ByronTau and @apalmerdc. Complaints go to tparti@politico.com. She’s on Twitter at @tparti.

RUSS REID LOSES 32 CLIENTS: Russ Reid has lost 32 clients in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to disclosure reports. Clients that have left include Lakeland Health Care, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Maine Maritime Academy and the California Housing Consortium, among others. In the same time period, Russ Reid has not signed any new business, according to the lobbying disclosure reports.The firm did not respond to multiple requests for comment on why so many clients have left and whether they’re closing their government affairs shop.

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NELSON MOVES TO K STREET: Former Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who retired from the upper chamber just weeks ago, will be joining public affairs firm Agenda as a senior adviser. Nelson will also be joining a national trade association in addition to his work for Agenda. Tarini has the story: http://politi.co/WkkRd1

RUBIO TO ADDRESS WHOLESALERS: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will speak to the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors at their annual meeting next Thursday. The group describes itself as “a federation of international, national, regional, state, and local associations and their member companies” and claims to represent as many as 40,000 businesses.

DEMS HEAD TO RASIKA WEST END: A cabal on Democrats including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his wife and Timothy Geithner and his wife were spotted eating at Raskia West End following inauguration. There was also a large dinner party with AT&T lobbyist Lyndon Boozer and his wife, Karen Anderson, Jake Perry and Amanda Fox, Mike Hutton, Gerry Harrington, Ashley and James Patterson, and Andrew and Eileen Vermilye.

FORD TAKES FLIGHT: Ford Motor Company played host to several hundred K-Streeters, politicos and Michiganders at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on Monday night. Ford’s Ziad Ojakli and Christin Baker, former Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), NBWA’s Rebecca Spicer and her husband Sean Spicer of the RNC, Alan Roth and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), among others.

SPOTTED: Actress Viola Davis, Chris Matthews, Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, Kate Walsh, and Audra McDonald and her husband, Will Swenson, who sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “New York State of Mind,” respectively, at the Human Rights Campaign ball. (h/t Megan Chan)

Campaign finance reform advocates held rallies nationwide on the third anniversary of the Citizens United decision, reports Paul Blumenthal of The Huffington Post. http://huff.to/10qrG32

As many as 300 people, who helped reelect Obama, are vying for just 30 or so ambassadorships, reports Nicholas Confessore and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times.http://nyti.ms/XwiO5B

For megadonors, Inauguration means access to the president, reports Marc Fisher and Tom Hamburger of The Washington Post.http://wapo.st/V48OjE

Obama’s gun control recommendations have created “a lobbying free-for-all” on Capitol Hill, reports Kevin Bogardus of The Hill. http://bit.ly/WEuns4

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